Viet Book Fest, which celebrates the literature of the Vietnamese diaspora, will take place in Santa Ana on Saturday, June 3, with Viet Thanh Nguyen, the acclaimed Vietnamese American novelist, as moderator of the main event.
The festival, presented by the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association, includes an authors panel, book signings, a poetry reading, and a performance showcase at the Frida Theatre.
The festival kicks off with an authors’ panel from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Santa Ana Public Library. Moderated by Nguyen, who won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel “The Sympathizer,” it will include a panel with Khoi Luu, an editor on the 25th-anniversary edition of “Watermark: Vietnamese American Poetry and Prose,” Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, co-founder of the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network, and poet Lan Duong, who will later read from her new collection “Nothing Follows.”
A book market showcasing emerging Vietnamese American authors takes place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Alta Baja Market. Authors include Van Hoang, Line Papin, Cathy Linh Che and Tina A. Huynh, all of whom will also sign copies of their books, which will be available for purchase through the festival’s partnership with LibroMobile, a Latino- and women-owned bookstore.
The fest wraps up with a showcase at the Frida Cinema from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. featuring local artists and performers such as singer-songwriter Ashley Nguyen DeWitt, Latinx alternative band Robaflor, and poetry and readings by writers Khoi Luu, Taylor Ngo and Jenni Trang Le. Music throughout the evening will be provided by DJ January.
Admission to all events is free and open to the public. For more information and to register go to https://bit.ly/VietBookFest2023
